


Crossing Paths

by StevetheIcecube



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers, Torna Tuesday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 10:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16474235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StevetheIcecube/pseuds/StevetheIcecube
Summary: The trail Torna have been following to find the Aegis has long gone cold. And then out of nowhere, rumours start to surface of a man in Uraya whose fighting style sounds very familiar.





	Crossing Paths

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second (and late) piece for Torna Tuesday! This one was prompted by it always seeming weird to me that there's a sort of familiarity between Malos + Akhos and Minoth in Ch3.

For years, the trail of intel had been cold. No one had credibly heard hide or hair about anything to do with Mythra, or Addam, or anything. It had long since faded out of recent memory, out of recorded history (the mysterious loss of the library on Indol in a tragic fire only months after the private collection housed on Iaretta sank into the Cloud Sea unexpectedly definitely had something to do with that), and almost out of popular chatter. Popular chatter wasn’t credible enough to follow up on. It never had been, at least not in the early days.

Now? Well, the rumours of a man who wielded both guns and knives, and fought in a mercenary group in Uraya with not a blade to speak of just screamed of a past that was bordering on long forgotten.

Getting into Uraya was pitifully easy, despite the claims of increased security that Akhos knew the authorities in Uraya had reported to Indol. They just claimed they were a mercenary band, produced forged papers of a mercenary contract Jin had recalled from memory, and then they were allowed in. With a titan warship. It was pathetic, honestly. The lack of drama or suspense was grating.

Hearing about the rumoured band was as easy as anything. All they had to do was ask about up and coming mercenary groups and the information came pouring in from all directions. A mixed bag mercenary group, primarily Urayan, run by a high-up veteran who’d only recently left the battlefield. The group had many a rising star, but one newcomer who’d wandered into the country in the last couple of months had drawn everyone’s attention.

His name was Cole, and on hearing that, Mikhail had immediately let his eyes drift elsewhere. The wrong name, perhaps, but potentially a case of hidden identity. A shadowy fugitive, concealed and on the run. It made a compelling story which matched the man’s Indoline accent in the absence of Indoline heritage, his reluctance to talk about the past coupled with the fantastical tales he told of ancient wars, cities and heroes that had long vanished.

Finding the group on their current job was a tad more difficult. They moved around a lot, split up a lot, and were part of constantly updated contracts that took them all over the titan, sometimes all over Alrest. They chased leads for weeks and ran into three different groups of this single mercenary band, but never the one with the man they were looking for.

Every time they asked, the people they spoke to gave them a knowing smile. “You want Cole, then?” They’d say. “Just head to the centre of action in a battlefield. That’s him.” They’d get a similar response from each one and then be sent elsewhere to chase after the next lead.

Finally, after weeks upon weeks of searching, they were all together when they found the right camp. Jin and Malos stayed well away; seeing Malos would only put the man on the defensive, and seeing Jin alongside him would ruin their chances of information right off the bat. They had to get his trust, and they had to get him on his own.

That meant they needed a cover, and cover meant constructing elaborate fantasies, which wasn’t anyone’s strong suit except his. “Mikhail should pretend to be our driver,” he said. It was a simple enough proposition, but the look on Patroka’s face told him it wasn’t going to end up being simple.

“Absolutely not,” Patroka said. “I will not have him leering at me with his hand on my weapon.” She glared sharply at Mikhail, who was apparently attempting to shoot her a winning smile. It was not working out.

“Don’t worry Patroka,” Mik said with a grin. “I don’t mind if you end up handling my blade.”

Patroka made a disgusted sound in response. “Akhos can be our driver or I can kick Mikhail off a cliff,” she said firmly. Akhos sighed, but maybe he’d be better off in a directing role in this farce for now.

“Well, blades are meant to have complementary personalities and you’re both insufferably loud,” he said. “Let’s get moving.”

“Wonder what having insufferable blades says about the driver,” Mikhail said, and even while walking away from the pair of them towards his destination, Akhos could hear the grin in his voice.

As they approached the group of mercenaries camped at the base of the outcropping, a young Urayan driver approached them, both arms outstretched with a weapon held in each. “Don’t come any further,” he warned. From his voice, he couldn’t be much older than a child. Urayan mercenary companies must be getting desperate to rake in as much cash as possible.

“Whyever not?” Akhos asked. “Your shiny toothpicks won’t deter me from my task.”

“What’s your task then?” He demanded, clearly eyeing up both Mikhail and Patroka, probably to judge if they were a threat. This kid had no idea.

“My current employer wants to meet with a mercenary of the name of Cole,” he said, and the boy’s eyes lit up in recognition, the wariness dropping slightly. Clearly a foolish bit-player in this tale.

“Cole’s out on a hunting run,” the boy said, waving one hand through the air. A large amount of collected ether dispersed into the winds. “He’ll be back soon. You can come into the camp now, but don’t let your blades tamper with our supplies or any of that. I’m watching you.”

Not completely trusting, then. No matter; he’d trusted enough to let them in for a short while. “My thanks,” Akhos said as the boy led them into the small campsite and let them sit on a couple of rocks in a loose circle of stones.

Mikhail and Patroka kept quiet, for once. Staying undercover was always difficult when they were talking, so Akhos was glad for the rare moments of peace. “What’s the name of your employer?” The boy asked. “I’ll see if I recognise the name.”

“And why not ask my name?” Akhos asked, taking the few moments the boy was thrown off to think of a good answer to the question. Something that would tip Cole off that something was going on, but not enough to alarm him. He just didn’t know enough about the man’s background.

“Our employer’s name is Hugo,” Mikhail said. “I’m Hikon, this is Patroka, and our driver is Akhos.” Concealing his own name. Akhos wasn’t sure quite how necessary that was, considering how long it had been and how implausible it was that a human Mikhail would still be alive, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious, he supposed.

“What does your employer want Cole for, then?” The boy, who was still yet to provide a name for himself, asked. Akhos felt rather like he was under an interrogation. “He’s a beast on the battlefield and all but he’s no driver.”

No, Akhos thought. If the stories were true, he definitely wasn’t a driver. But either the kid didn’t know or he was concealing it for some reason. Either way, challenging that would set him on guard. “I’m not at liberty to say,” he said. “Mostly because I don’t know all that much.”

“Cole’s a busy man,” the boy said. “If you’re leading him out on a wild Puffot chase, he won’t follow.”

“Oh, I can assure you that this will pique his interest,” Akhos said. The boy huffed and sat down opposite them, just watching. After a few minutes, a humanoid blade covered in feathers came to sit by him.

“This is Roc,” the boy said, and the blade acknowledged the three of them by pointedly glaring at them.

“Pleased to meet you,” the blade said, but their expression didn’t soften. They saw the three of them as a threat, clearly, which was right, but as long as neither of them made a move, none of Torna would be a threat to this group.

The tense silence continued until a few other mercenaries walked into the camp, eyeing the three of them with intense suspicion. This group was not nearly as welcoming as the others had been. The boy jumped up almost immediately. “Cole!” He called, rushing over to a man whose face was almost entirely obscured with a cloak. “These strangers came to see you.”

The man looked over, and as he drew closer, Akhos could feel the warping in the ether as his body strained to take in enough. He was a flesh eater, for sure, but he wouldn’t be one for much longer if this was any indication of his usual health. He heard Patroka suck in a breath behind him and he gave her a look while pushing a little ether in the man’s direction. His gaze snapped directly to meet Akhos’ eyes.

“May we discuss this with you somewhere?” He asked. Secrecy was vital for something like this. They couldn’t have all these thugs knowing about the intricacies of their mission. 

“Of course,” he said. Akhos saw Mikhail twitch out of the corner of his eye the moment he registered the man’s voice. Both of these two were the lousiest acting partners, honestly. It was a wonder they hadn’t been discovered already. “You can start without me, don’t worry!” He called to the other mercenaries. With that, he turned on his heel and marched out of the camp.

“Any of you actually have a driver?” He demanded as soon as they were out of earshot of the camp. No subtlety. What a shame. A bit of deception always heightened the drama.

“I believe I saw mine more recently than you saw yours, Minoth,” Akhos said, and Mikhail let out a short laugh. Cole frowned.

“I wish I could say you had a case of mistaken identity,” he said, “but I don’t think you’d believe me. You’re not from Indol, are you? Couldn’t be, considering. They’re not a fan of your kind there.”

“Oh, we’re well aware of that,” Patroka said. “Now we’ll cut to the chase. We need information from you, and the best person to give that information to is the head of our group. So if you’ll come with us and give us the information we need, then we’ll leave and it’ll be like it never happened.”

“I can’t tell you anything that people don’t already know about Indol,” Minoth said. “So if that’s the information you’re looking for, you’re very much out of luck I’m afraid.”

“Oh, I think you’ll be able to help,” Akhos said. They had everything they needed on Indol that they could get from anywhere other than Indol itself. “Many people have been to Indol. We’re looking for information on something else that only you can help us with.”

“You’re not doing a very good job of winning me over,” Minoth said. “I trust you’re paying me for this information?” They hadn’t been planning on it, and the silence showed. They had resources, but their plans cost money. Information could be gained very cheaply even if Minoth wasn’t so...forthcoming. They had their methods, if necessary.

“Well, if you do a favour for me, then I’ll return the favour for you,” he continued. “The current target of the group I’m with is holed up in a cave near here. It’s dangerous, and I can’t fight at my peak with the mercs around.”

“And you want us to come with you to lend a hand,” Mikhail said.

“Sharp,” Minoth said, his voice dripping with contempt. They really hadn’t managed to make a good impression here.

Minoth didn’t ask any questions as they progressed through the area towards the cave. Akhos imagined he didn’t want to be asked any back, which was a shame, because dialogue was the bare bones of any transition between scenery. The silence was tense, and Mikhail just wouldn’t stop fidgeting. It was distracting and aggravating, but Akhos couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. This couldn’t be a comfortable situation for him to be in.

When they approached the cave, all four of them drew their weapons. Again, Akhos pushed ether in the direction of Minoth; the rest of them might be lacking during combat, but it was better than the ageing flesh eater just keeling over during combat.

It didn’t take them long to find what they were looking for, and it took them less time to take it down. Akhos had to admit, Minoth was an impressive presence on the battlefield. Even struggling as he was, he could move incredibly quickly and easily kept up with the rest of them. It was easy to believe the stories he’d heard from Mikhail about the man.

“Thanks for the hand,” Minoth said, breaking the tense silence as they exited the cave. “You can go ahead and take me to your leader or whatever nonsense you wanted me to get mixed up in now. But don’t take too long, my squad will get concerned and I don’t imagine you want highly trained mercs after you.”

Akhos decided not to mention that they could probably deal with anything a mere mortal threw at them, and fixed Patroka with a glare when she opened her mouth, likely to say exactly what he was thinking. They needed this man to come with them or getting information would be far more difficult.

The walk was once again passed in silence, the tension steadily building. Akhos hoped this man had the information they needed; they’d gone to a lot of effort to get him here if not. Minoth was visibly nervous now, too, especially as they approached the spot where Jin was waiting. Maybe he could feel that something was up.

Minoth froze on the spot when he saw Jin waiting there. Now this was the kind of drama Akhos could appreciate. A reunion after several centuries. Minoth probably thought he was seeing a ghost. “Minoth,” Jin said. His voice was sharper than normal. There was an edge to it that Akhos never really heard off the battlefield. Was Jin expecting a fight?

“Jin,” he said. “Still going strong, I see. You’ve got some friends now. Moving on?”

“Not exactly,” Jin answered. “I’m not here to chat.”

“You never are.” Minoth’s voice wasn’t exactly hostile, but it definitely wasn’t friendly. That was the weight of history, he supposed.

“I want information,” Jin said. “You saw Addam before he died.”

“So did you,” Minoth said, “but yes, I saw him more recently than you did.”

“Where did he seal away the Aegis?”

“Hell if I know,” Minoth said with a shrug, and Akhos felt the collective sigh of disappointment from all of them. So much for all their work. “A Tornan ship. But he sank it into the Cloud Sea; it’s gone now, carried with the tides, and he never even told me where he sank it.”

“That’s all I needed,” Jin said. Akhos didn’t know how they were going to find the Aegis with that information, but he trusted Jin’s judgement.

“And why do you need it?” Minoth asked.

“The world needs her,” Jin said. The ‘one way or another’ went unspoken. Retrieving the Aegis for their purpose and for the purpose that was intended by Addam were very different things, but Minoth didn't need to know that.

“A sad truth,” Minoth said. “I presume I’m free to go now?” Jin nodded. “Farewell then, old friend.” There was a definite edge to his voice as he spoke. “I’ll see you again some time, if I live to see the day.” Jin didn’t say anything, and the man turned to go. Akhos watched as the man started back down the hill before he turned his head back. “Goodbye, Mikhail.”

They watched him leave, and he didn’t look back. Once he was out of sight, Jin let out a heavy sigh. “You didn’t tell him your names, did you?” Akhos shook his head, only then realising the significance. The man clearly knew just how to turn the encounter into a compelling story. “Past is past. We have the information to get working on the future.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) I hope you enjoyed, and if you did please leave a comment!


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